Juice Bar Business Plan

Personal Management Plan
1- The Juice Pharm
My organization is called The Juice Pharm and is inspired by Clean Juice, a company that is a 100% certified organic juice bar. Every item and ingredient is organic. No GMO (genetically modified organisms), no contaminated food items, all-natural produce from all-natural farmers who believe in sustainability—that is the foundation of Clean Juice’s business. For my organization, I would base my business’s core values on the same concepts and vision of developing a sustainable future and serving clients with healthy, non-toxic, all-organic juice drinks. I want to pursue this business because I myself believe in the concept of sustainability and want to develop a business that promotes the production of healthy, all-organic products for consumers.
2- Mission/Vision/Values
Mission
The mission of The Juice Pharm is to develop a sustainable future by working only with 100% certified all-organic, all-natural farmers to source the fruits and vegetables used to create our juice drinks.
The Juice Pharm is an all-organic juice bar offering organic cold pressed juices, smoothies, and smoothie bowls. Our company offers these products with the intention of staying as environmentally friendly as possible—i.e. we use only glass (no plastics!) in-store and all carry-out purchases are sold in reusable containers or in specially-made biodegradable cartons that do not leave a carbon footprint.
Vision
The vision we have is that by sourcing only certified organic, all-natural foods from a network of farmers, we can revolutionize the farming industry and turn it into what we want it to be: a natural, GMO-free, contaminant free, organic system—i.e., what it is meant to be before large companies like Monsanto take it over and start messing with what Mother Nature has already made. We want to preserve the earth and protect the environment while helping to protect the health of our clients.
Values
Our Belief:
We believe that everything in nature has a purpose and that as far as the foods and fruits and vegetables that we consume go, nature has provided us with exactly what we need—the nutrients, vitamins, minerals—all of the good things that our bodies require to be healthy. We believe that we have a special relationship with nature because we come from nature and are a part of nature. In our modern era of technology and innovation, we sometimes forget that we are connected to the earth, the soil, the water, the sky—all of it. We think that can twist and reshape everything to our convenience without causing a disruption somewhere in the food chain or in the environment or in our own lives and in our own bodies.
When corporations begin modifying foods that grow in nature, altering their seeds and changing their chemical and biological makeup, they are taking what nature has provided it and reshaping it to fit their aims—which are usually profit related. Nature puts people first, not profits. Nature gives us what we need. Corporations tend to sell to us what they want us to buy so that they can profit.
What a Company Should Strive to Be:
A good company is one that puts people before profits. It realizes that by serving people and putting their best interests first, it will attract consumers who appreciate the fact that here is a company that wants to do what it is supposed to do—serve the client. By serving the client, profits will follow because every consumer engages in an exchange of value for the products and services that the company provides.
We understand that. And we envision a world where more and more companies wake up to the reality that consumers matter and that they want to live in a sustainable world. They are tired of the corporate greed and rampant violation of nature that large corporations unethically engage in so that they can maximize profits by creating Frankenfood that never dies. Nature’s foods for us are not intended to live forever: we are meant to eat them fresh because that is how we maximize their benefit for our bodies, minds and spirits.
What We Envision:
We envision a world where fresh, good, healthy, all-natural and organic food can be had—and we aim to get us there one step at a time by never backing down on our principles or our goal of helping to create that sustainable world.
3- Organizational Culture
Equality and Diversity
The organizational culture of The Juice Pharm is rooted in the idea that equality and diversity are things to celebrate not to shun. We all live on and share in the wonders of this planet, and our organizational culture reflects the simplicity and beauty of that acknowledgement. We do not recognize any prejudice or bar anyone from working with us or for us based on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, religion, age, political affiliation, or any other characteristic.
Promoting Compassion:
Our culture also promotes positivity and compassion for our communities. We foster a spirit of camaraderie by adhering to the idea put forward by Mackenzie, Podsakoff, and Podsakoff (2011), who show that every member of the organizational culture plays a role in developing the overall organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Culture and the OCB go together like eggs and ham—the culture should inform employee behavior and vice versa. Both are shaped by the ideals, values, vision and mission of the organization.
Promoting a Moral Environment:
The organizational culture also aims to support and promote a moral environment by offering training and support to employees via an onboarding process that helps new hires to fit in with the existing organizational structure and embrace their roles in the organization with confidence and enthusiasm (Wolper, 2017). Retaining employees is important for any organization, as constantly having to hire and train workers when turnover rates are high is a drain on the organization’s resources. For that reason, the organizational culture has to be very supportive and really focus on bringing new hires aboard in the most effective manner possible. As Mota (2016) notes, “the entire process, from recruiting to training, [is] even more mportant because it can make the difference between losing or keeping that valued employee” (p. 4). The organizational culture must be strong, attractive, and cohesive enough to ensure that the company is able to obtain and keep the talent needed to grow the business and develop the sustainable community across the nation.
Strength through Commitment and Support
The essence of a strong organizational culture is found in the report by Hamburg and Harris-Thompson (2017), who state that “helping people understand why they were hired, what strengths they bring to a team, and how the team will use those strengths helps people see how they contribute to the team’s success” (p. 33). The organizational culture should be in place to serve the workers, just as the workers are there to serve the customers. In order to make this happen, the company’s leaders must adopt a servant leadership strategy, like that of so many other famous entrepreneurs who had the vision of what they wanted their companies to be and knew enough to get out of the way of those who could bring that vision to life and support and serve them in their work. Richard Branson is the perfect example of a visionary who engaged in servant leadership to grow his companies and attract the talent needed to make them strong (Entrepreneur, 2008).
4- Organizational Structure
A Hierarchical-Functional Blend
The organizational structure of The Juice Pharm is hierarchical in the sense that it has a president and CEO along with a Board of Directors that oversees operations, offers guidance, and makes important decisions about growth and development opportunities. The structure is also somewhat functional in the sense that it has lower level managers who oversee daily operations and perform the function of running the business in ways that the CEO and Board would never do because they are operating at a different level of management with a different focus on the organization’s needs and the needs of the consumer and the market.
Centralized and Decentralized:
For this reason, leadership is diffuse but is centralized at the higher levels while decentralized at the lower levels. The organizational structure, in other words, mirrors the structure of our system of government. We have the centralized federal government which oversees certain aspects of the nation’s activities; then there are the many states, which are essentially a form of decentralized power, each having its own authority to make laws and enforce them. The Juice Pharm operates similarly: the CEO and Board focus on the bigger picture part of the business—the supply chain, the development of the sustainable community, marketing techniques, promotions, expansion, relationship building, gaining investors and promoting the brand. The lower level managers focus on the store itself, the way in which it is maintained, the relationship with consumers and members of the local community, cleanliness, positivity in the workplace, education of clients seeking information about products used in-store, and so on.
Why It Works:
A blend of a hierarchical and functional structure is most appropriate for The Juice Pharm because this business is not just going to be a local, corner juice bar. It will start off that way, just as Chipotle started off as a single taco stand in Denver (Subramanian, 2013), but it will also aim to expand and grow the franchise over the course of several years. For that reason, it needs to have a hierarchical structure at the top that can make executive decisions, just as Chipotle did along the way. It went from being one taco stand, to having 16 taco stands, to finding a big investor (McDonald’s) willing to help grow the business all the way to 500 restaurants and take the company public.
The Structure Needed to Grow:
The aim of The Juice Pharm is be to follow a similar trajectory. One of the things that investors look at is an exit strategy. In order to grow The Juice Pharm to be a national business, it will take a large investment and if investors are uncertain about getting their money out in due order with a profit, they will not invest. Taking the company public is a way for investors to have an exit strategy. They invest early on for shares in the company, which they can then sell to the public several years later at a profit when the company is a success and attractive the investors in the market.
To reach that kind of level of operation, the hierarchical structure has to be in place at the top, and the functional organizational structure has to be in place at the lower levels, helping the business to operate at the local level. Employees have to be taken care of, trained and supported. Customers have to be served. The local community has to be appreciated and relationships with the community have to be developed. Managers at the lower level will engage in functional management to take care of this aspect of the business.
5- Five Preliminary Strategies
Zero Waste
Objective:
The main goal is to have zero waste. The Juice Pharm wants to leave zero carbon footprint and thus work towards developing a sustainable culture that others can appreciate and promote. It wants to be a 100% sustainable operation, similar to what is envisioned by firms like Eileen Fisher and Patagonia. It may have grand ambitions like those of Tesla, but sustainability is the future and this concept is a big draw for environmentally-conscientious consumers.
Strategy #1:
Sourcing from local farmers and developing a network of farmers who are committed to all-organic, pesticide-free, non-GMO growing techniques is the first strategy. Unfortunately, this market is still small and prices are high for all-organic fruits and vegetables (Subramanian, 2013). In order to cut down on costs, we will require investors to help build out our sustainable culture. This means partnering directly with our suppliers so that we are truly developing a long-term relationship and community of sustainable business practices. Just as Chipotle built out its business by way of early investors, The Juice Pharm will grow its existing business into a dozen profitable juice bars and use this standing to attract investment and take the business nation-wide. In doing so, the network of all-organic farmers who supply us with our fruits and vegetables will need to grow with us. Our investment is their investment, and we will work together as a joint-venture to make this a reality.
Attracting Investors
Objective:
In order to achieve the goal of growth, we need investors. That means developing a profitable business, first, and then developing an attractive pitch. The reality for most venture capitalists is that the numbers speak for themselves—and the concept sells the total package. Sustainability is an attractive concept in the 21st century—but investors want to see how it will be achieved.
Strategy #2:
Developing a pitch that unites concept with numbers to attract investors is the next step. This will require the business to do well in its early stages as a local juice bar. Then the franchise can expand to nearby neighborhoods under the oversight of a small management staff led by the CEO. Once these dozen juice bars are up, operating and bringing in a profit, the next stage will be to develop a pitch for investors.
Developing the Brand
Objective:
To grow nationwide, brand awareness is vital. The brand has to be something unique, something that offers consumers something different. As Trout and Rivkin (2006) note, a company must differentiate itself or die. Our brand must develop a unique take on the juice bar concept.
Strategy #3:
To develop the brand, we will differentiate ourselves by uniting the juice bar concept with the sustainable business model and the fast casual dining experience. This means consumers will get a quality product with fast service at a reasonable price. The counter ordering method and the assembly-line production of the smoothie bowl or juice beverage will have its own appeal, similar to that seen at Chipotle—but with juice.
Marketing
Objective:
Once the brand is developed, it needs to be marketed. Marketing the business will be primarily through word-of-mouth, promotional activities, incentives (like a loyalty rewards program), and online advertising especially via social media.
Strategy #4:
Word-of-mouth marketing will be employed by generating good will with the local community through great service and great products as well as through information spreading and education about what it means to be sustainable. Promotions will help to spread the word, such as sponsoring a festival that brings small businesses, local farmers and sustainability advocates together. The loyalty program will reward repeat consumers with a free product after so many visits, and social media will be used to engage with the community and get out the word about the great things happening at The Juice Pharm on a daily basis.
Attracting Talent
Objective:
In order to grow as we’d like, we need top level talent to help create great new recipes, boost sales, grow our relationship with the community, network with organic farmers, and obtain investors.
Strategy #5:
In order to obtain talent, our mission, vision and values have to align with our trajectory and what we’re capable of achieving. We need a human resources department able to attract top talent to lead the way in marketing, sales, growth, supply chain management, and sustainability.
6- Leadership and Decision Making
Leadership Style
Servant Leadership:
My leadership and decision-making style is servant. I would like The Juice Pharm’s leaders to practice servant leadership, because I believe that this is the most effective form of leadership when it comes to building relationships and attracting consumers. Consumers want to be served and they want to be well-served. Servant leadership practices can help the entire organization bear this in mind—from the top down. It all starts with the leaders and managers at the top. As they serve those directly under them, they in turn will serve the workers they oversee. Then the workers will in turn serve the customers with the same type of consideration and care that their managers have shown to them.
This is the essence of the servant leadership style that I advocate. It is the secret behind the success of Branson and his Virgin Group—from the time when they were a record label to the time they became an airline. It is the secret of many successful entrepreneurs who realize that they way to succeed is by giving people what they want when they cannot get it from anywhere else.
Decision-Making Style
My decision-making style is conceptual. I prefer to brainstorm ideas with my team and take risks. I believe that when embarking on a revolutionary concept like 100% sustainability, it is important to be willing to try new things, to experiment and to see what works. This is a new frontier and there is no blueprint for what we will be doing. We are like pioneers and we have to be willing to get out on the front line, see what works and what doesn’t, and not be afraid of failure. Every opportunity is a learning opportunity.
7- Activities to Monitor
1- Waste
Reason:
Our vision is to have zero waste. In order to be successful, we have to strive to reach and maintain that vision. This vision is what distinguishes us and sets us apart. We want to be completely sustainable in our offering of clean, healthy juice products.
Metrics:
Using a waster generation metric system will help us to monitor this activity and determine whether we are meeting our goals.
2- Brand Development
Reason:
In order to grow our business, we have to create a brand that is recognizable, popular and appealing.
Metrics:
Behavior metrics and interaction metrics can be used to monitor brand strength. Behavior of workers and the interaction of consumers with the brand via social media can both be helpful ways to monitor this activity.
3 – Marketing
Reason:
Marketing is important to sales, which is important to growth. Unless we can move our product, our brand popularity won’t account for much at all. Investors want to see a viable path to profit.
Metrics:
Key performance indicators include sales revenue, customer value, organic traffic, landing page conversion rate for online sales, and inbound marketing return on investment.
4 – Sales
Reason:
Without sales there can be no growth. The company must always be pushing sales and trying to penetrate the market and expand consumer appeal.
Metrics:
Sales metrics include total revenue, product revenue, market penetration, percentage of revenue from existing customers vs. new customers, and year-over-year growth.
5 – Growth
Reason:
Growth will determine our success and our ability to attract investors to the idea that we can compete on the national stage.
Metrics:
Monitoring growth can be conducted by seeing the number of new stores opened each year and the number of new customers added to our loyalty program.
6 - Attracting Investors
Reason:
Without investors it will be very difficult to take the business nationwide.
Metrics:
Cost projections, product metrics, brand visibility, and sales will be used to monitor our ability to attract investors.
7 - Attracting Talent
Reason:
Talent is needed to guide the business to its goals.
Metrics:
Measuring the experience of employees by analyzing resumes, education, and knowledge of skills needed to perform the duties associated with their roles will be key.
8 - Daily Operations
Reason:
The daily operations of the juice bar will make or break the business.
Metrics:
Monitoring cleanliness, customer satisfaction, service time, and employee satisfaction are ways to evaluate this activity.
9 – Motivating Workers
Reason:
If workers are not motivated to perform, the business will suffer and clients will not want to walk through the door.
Metrics:
Measuring what intrinsic and extrinsic factors motivate employees and measuring how well they impact performance can be the key to evaluating this activity.
10 - Supply Chain Management
Reason:
In order to be sustainable, we need to work with farmers who believe the same.
Metrics:
These metrics can include the monitoring of procurement activities, production, transportation, and inventory.
8- Talent Management Issues and Strategies
Attracting talent is crucial to success as every human resources manager knows. The talent pool may be wide but today’s top talent want to go to organizations that offer them the opportunity to climb the corporate ladder or engage in interesting and exciting new work in a given field. Fortunately for us, our business is based on the idea of doing something revolutionary. We can therefore attract talent by promoting our vision and values and by showing that we have the blueprint in place to bring it to fruition—we just need the right people with the right skills and the right drive to make that happen.
This is where our human resources management team can really thrive. They can identify applicants who have the right training, right skills and right mindset to do the jobs we need. The strategies to find this talent include using social media sites like LinkedIn to identify talented industry leaders who have experience in leading start-ups like ours onto the big stage.
Once talent is obtained, it is necessary to onboard talent and incorporate them into the business with support and appreciation every step of the way. One way of doing this successfully is to use mentors to help young talented new hires acclimate themselves to what we are trying to do. Mentors are very helpful in that they are there to answer questions, make sure the new hire has a perfect understanding of what is expected of the role, and that there is always a helping hand to assist the new hire as he or she learns the ropes. The onboarding process can last for months throughout the year and fits in with my approach to servant leadership, which I want our organization to adopt so that all stakeholders can feel that we are there to serve them.

References
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